Indian man charged with murdering second wife, girl in Australia

Published: Monday, June 2, 2008, 13:02 [IST]

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Sydney, June 2 : An Indian national who married his second wife last May after meeting her on the Internet a year ago, has been accused of murdering her and a girl, and then threw the bodies over a cliff.

He allegedly dumped the two dead bodies in his car and then drove up a mountain along with two other family members, ostensibly on the lookout for her 'missing' wife.

After allegedly murdering the duo, Sanjay Mehta, the accused, had reported to the police on May 5 that his wife and the girl had gone missing.

According to a police statement placed before a local court, Mehta allegedly murdered his wife Jyoti (38) and the nine-year-old girl in Dunn Way, Blacktown. Then he placed their bodies in a vehicle and took two other family members for a drive to Echo Point lookout at Katoomba.

While the other occupants of the car went for a short walk, Mehta took the two bodies from the vehicle and threw them over a cliff, police say. They landed 150 metres down on the canyon floor, added the statement.

Mehta then drove home, alleged the police in the statement.

The police document also stated that Jyoti had told her younger sister that her relationship with Mehta was "very strained" and that he had recently been physically violent towards her.

A neighbour said Mehta had a son and a daughter from a previous relationship, aged about 16 and 10 respectively, who also lived at the house. He said the mother of the charged man's children was now living at the Dunn Way house.

"The mum lived in India or something but she came back to look after the kids because the other lady went missing," he said.

Another Dunn Way resident said: "It's just terrible. She was just lovely."

Sanjay, employed as an engineer, met his wife on the internet in July 2006. She moved to Australia to marry him in May the following year.

Meanwhile the accused's former wife, who had earlier moved back to India after their marriage breakdown, returned to Australia on May 26 and had moved back into the family home, reported the Sydney Morning Herald (SMH).